Unprecedented
by AnnieSometimes
Summary: Ten years after the fall of the Fire Nation, Aang comes back to the Earth Kingdom to reclaim the woman of his dreams. What happens when she's already taken?
1. Unbelievable

A/N: This is may second story, I hope you like it. :] It's a bunch of love and angst and a bit fluff. A tiny bit. Have fun!

"Marry me"

"You know I can't, Aang. You know I'm already married"

"Yeah, but it's with _him_, and you know you'd be happier with me than you ever would be with that…that…"

"You can't know that! He's my husband! I love – "

"Don't lie to me! You forget how well you taught me"

"Please, Aang, you've never mastered that technique. You have too much Air-Bender in you"

"At least say you love me"

"No"

"Why not?"

"It's too late; _you're_ too late"

"It's NEVER too late!"

"Yes it is, Twinkle-Toes. There isn't anything even _you_ can do. I'm married. Give up, already"

"I _know_ you haven't forgotten what we had?"

"When we were twelve and thirteen? Yes, Aang, it was beautiful back then, a wonderful first-love, but I'm twenty-three now – "

"With a forty-six year-old husband"

"Which is BESIDE the point! Aang, face it; you're too late. You were gone for _so long_…"

"You KNOW I never stopped loving you!"

"After awhile, there was no way to be sure what we had was even REAL! You weren't around to reassure me, were you? When you stopped writing, you stopped everything…How was I supposed to take out of that that you still loved me? SEVEN years I waited – "

"You waited for me?"

"What did I just say?"

"You…waited"

"For seven long years"

"You waited!"

"Wha - ? Aang, stop it"

"You _do_ love me!"

"I…don't know if you could say that…"

"No, you do! Seven years is a long time to wait for somebody you don't love"

"If you do recall, I stopped waiting"

"Ah…well…"

"And you're not taking into account that I have a husband. Did you forget that?"

"I bet you wish _you_ could, here, with me"

"Aang…I…I just can't…"

"Tell me you still love me. If you…if you don't…I…"

"Why?"

"Because I never stop, nor will I ever stop, loving you, Toph"

"I still love you, Aang"


	2. Remembrances

A/N: Ha ha! I find inspiration in the _weirdest_ places! Like, from my amazingly homosexual boss at work. Ha! Have fun!

Toph lay awake, staring at the canopy of her large four-poster. She was too shocked to sleep. What had just happened couldn't have just happened. Aang was back! Aang was here! Aang still loved her! That thought alone got her heart thumping. But what had just _happened_ with Aang…oh, Aang. Her heart ached when she thought of him, of his name, his lips on hers, his hands in her hair…on her thigh…she clenched her eyes closed in shame and disbelief.

Somebody _please_ jump out and yell 'Aprils Fools!' or, 'Ha, ha, you're going crazy, Toph!', SOMETHING. She wasn't the 'cheating type'. She'd been nothing but faithful to Oro, her husband of the last three years.

It hadn't mattered that it was arranged, that he was really only after her looks and her youth, and her parents' money. She had taken the vows as she was expected to. Though there was barely a smidgen of affection there, they were still _vows_. She hadn't expected to marry somebody she loved anyway, after all those years that Aang had been gone.

She thought about it, remembering how she'd battled with herself (how she _still_ sometimes battled with herself) for years after he had left. It was true that the world needed him much more than she did in Gaoling. But why had she made the decision to stay in the Earth Kingdom, rather than help Aang, Zuko and Katara in the Fire Nation? The reasons were all perfectly valid. The Earth Kingdom needed her guidance and influence – a fellow Earth-Bender – the most since the Avatar was needed the most in the Fire Nation where the turmoil was the worst. Aang also feared for her life more than his own – which was stupid. There had been eight assassination attempts (that she knew of) on Aang. Probably more on Zuko and Katara – especially Katara. A Water-Tribe Fire-Nation queen didn't sit pretty with the Fire Nation.

Toph knew she was tough; she pulled her own weight and could hold her own. But it wasn't always (in fact it was very seldom) a full frontal attack. Poison was a favorite tool. If Aang had almost been killed eight times by the small Fire Nation rebellions, what would have happened if they'd found out he was in love? How many assassinations would have been lined up for her to punish Aang? She hated to admit that it scared her. It scared her so much that she agreed to stay in Ba Sing Se to redirect the Dai Li and be the King's chief advisor. That's how she'd met Oro….she knew, even now, that she should have gone with Aang.

She and Aang would have been married now. And she would have been happy to go with Aang when he decided that Zuko and Katara could handle anything that was thrown at them. He left to travel the world on Appa like they used to, helping small towns and people along the way. He went with Sokka and Suki originally, but they came home after a few months to start their family in the South Pole. After Aang left, the letters stopped. They had been steady until this, but Toph guessed that life on the road didn't provide much time for writing letters. The only news she got concerning him she got from the actual news.

She had begun to worry that something had happened to him, then that he'd met somebody else, then that he didn't love her anymore…then that it was never real at all.

But he was back now. He still loved her; he never stopped. After a decade of not hearing his voice, this was too big of a shock to handle. She didn't know what she was going to do; after making out with him, and then shame-facedly returning to her husband's forty-sixth birthday party, she didn't know if there was anything to be done. She rolled to her side, and felt Oro lying there, breathing in and out deeply. A single tear ran down her face as she lie next to the biggest mistake of her life. She rolled the other way, and tried to get some sleep.


	3. Toleration

A/N: This story is fun to write, but unfortunately, my other story takes up most of my writing time ^^'' Oh, and I might have to rise the rating on this because there are some direct references to some things on here, heh heh. Well hey, they ARE all adults now - married adults, might I add. Hope you enjoy! It only takes a minute or so out of your time to jot down your thoughts, and it's really wonderful for me to see that somebody is reading and liking what I'm writing. Keep the comments coming, people, I love them :]

Toph awoke the next morning alone. She didn't need to see to know that. She lay still in bed, imagining that she was staring up at the canopy, but only seeing blackness. Oro never stuck around to bid her a good morning. He never stuck around to wish her any kind of anything. Unless he wanted some pointless sex - Oro hated children - an opportunity to show her off or score some pity points for his _poor, blind wife_ from higher-up city officials, he generally wanted nothing to do with her.

Oro was the kind of guy that insisted that any wife of his would never work. Not because he believed that women shouldn't have to work - he just didn't want other people to think that his wife _had_ to work. Toph hated this; she loved her job before, and Oro practically forced her to quit. She had been constantly rubbing elbows with the highest-ups in the Earth Kingdom, going out for tea with the King himself, having so much gold she could literally swim in it if she saw fit. And the power - people had known who she was, glorified her when she walked down the streets, shook her hand, gave her things. She loved the adoration. Playing such a large part in ending the Hundred Year War definitely had had its perks - perks that Oro frowned upon. People still loved her, recognized her, and willed her to go back into office, of course. But that only happened when Oro wasn't home - he didn't like his wife wandering about town without supervision. She was _blind_, after all. That and, she knew that Oro hated how much more important she was than him. He was still high up in the ranks, but she had been one step below the_ King_. That in itself may have been one reason he made her quit.

She thought back to her conversation with Aang yesterday, and sighed. She'd been so free with him, back in the old days. Now she was like a caged messenger hawk - used to ruling the skies but now confined to nearly nothing in comparison. Toph sat up, and swung her long legs over the side of the bed, reaching for the floor. She made contact, and saw the room at last. She was alone, so she proceeded to try to get dressed. Her clothes now were elegant, unlike the simple clothes she used to wear. She never needed help dressing before moving in with Oro, and now if she dressed herself she knew half the things would be backwards, inside-out or the designs completely sideways. She whistled for assistance, and a maid came in, and helped her. Every time she needed a servant to help her get dressed, eat, or for god sakes use the bathroom, she died a little bit more inside.

Toph didn't see Aang that night, nor the night after that. She sat at the impossibly long and fancy dinner table across from her husband, thinking because she wasn't allowed to do anything else. She knew that not seeking Aang out was the right thing to do, according the to vows she exchanged with Oro, but she didn't feel like it was the right thing to do by her. She knew she wasn't happy with this life - this life that forced her to wear shoes with bottoms, where she couldn't Bend because the house was too fancy, where there was an endless expanse of walls and rules and secrets and lies designed to keep her confined to the role of housewife. She didn't feel like Toph anymore, now she was_ housewife_. She wasn't the world's most accomplished Earth Bender anymore, she was once again the _poor little blind girl_. She wasn't Aang's anymore...she was Oro's. She remembered what Aang had said to her that night, before she'd admitted to still loving him; "_...you know you'd be happier with me than you ever would be with that...that_...". She knew he was right. She'd known that before she even saw him on that balcony, she'd known that from the day the flowers started arriving on her doorstep from Oro, from the first day he started 'courting' her.

Suddenly, something inside of Toph broke. **_Enough!_**, a voice she recognized as the old her shouted out from the back of her head. She hadn't heard that voice in a very long time, having completely banished it to what she thought was the blackest depth of her head. But here it was, screaming at her. Angry. Loud. Uncouth. Rude. Dominant. Beautiful. She slammed her silver fork down, and looked up in what she thought was Oro's face. She kicked off her stupid fancy shoes - finally! - and started to speak.

"Oro!" she exclaimed in her glorious old rebellious voice. From the slight start of his heart, she knew that Oro was surprised to hear her like this; hell. _She_ was surprised to hear her old, beloved tone again.

"Y-yes, my dear?"

"How much do you love me?"

There was a slight pause, in which Toph felt Oro's heart rate spike again. Surprise or panic?

"You shouldn't have to ask my love. You know how I feel for you" he scolded. Yes, definitely panic.

"Then you won't have a problem with my wanting a job"

"You know my view on that, dear. The answer is no"

"Kids?"

"No"

"Fine, then I want to start Bending regularly again"

"Toph, I'm surprised at you! Such uncouth behavior, out of nowhere. Next thing you know you'll be wanting to go out by yourself! Ha ha, oh no, my dear, bending is so dirty and improper for a lady of your standing, I absolutely forbid it! Spirits only know why the High Palace let you get away with it"

"Because I'm good at it! I helped Aang end the war! Don't you tell me about what is and what isn't _proper_ for me! That's not your decision!"

"I believe it is, dear. Now sit back down. You're making a scene"

Toph hadn't realized she had stood up.

"A _scene_?! A scene for WHO? It's just us two, Oro, like it will ALWAYS BE! I'm - _so_ - TIRED of this!" she yelled, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, she raised a line of jagged rock to cut Oro's precious table in half long-ways. The dished crashed to the floor and broke, the table keened and fell on its sides, and Oro's gasp of fear and shock made it all worth it. She ran out of the dinner hall, half crying, half exhilarated.

She ran to their room and locked the door behind her. She rummaged in a closet and pulled out a very old backpack. She reveled at its feel. She rubbed its rough fabric against her face, remembering all the times she used to use it as a pillow. She began stuffing her most simple clothes inside, and a few precious things, like the space-rock bracelet Sokka had given her and the long-since-used hairband she used to wear constantly. She was halfway done before she stopped. The little voice, her old voice, was quieter now. What was she doing?

Was she leaving Oro? Was she going after Aang? What was she _doing_? She threw down the rucksack in a sudden panic. Her heart was hammering. Had she really just been packing? Was she really getting ready to leave? Where would she go? There was nowhere to go. Maybe to Aang, but she couldn't...besides, Oro would find her. He would just send the Dai Li or some other agent to recapture her and then her life would be worse - she would only be more suppressed here. She didn't want that...she should just stay here. She didn't want to do this, did she?

But what _did_ she want, then?! Even if she left, things couldn't get much worse! The only privilege she had was going into town, but even then it was horribly restricted! She had to have two body guards and two maids on hand with her at all times. She could only go into certain shops, buy certain things (she wasn't to carry any money lest they "get robbed"), she couldn't go past certain points in town, and it wasn't like she had any friends to visit, Katara and Zuko being in the Fire Nation and Suki and Sokka in the South Pole, and up until now, Aang only Spirits-knew-where. The only women she was allowed to see were Oro's friends' wives, who were all dull as hell. They were all long-used to this life-style, and loved it. They didn't understand Toph. The only thing Oro could do to her would be to take away these weekly visits to town - and it's not like she couldn't live without.

Making a split-second decision, Toph picked the rucksack back up, and continued filling it. Screw this life. She couldn't live here; she never said a word about it aloud, but she was screaming inside. She couldn't _take it_ anymore. Suddenly, she felt Oro coming up the flight of stairs, toward their room. She knew the door was locked, so she just packed faster. He knocked softly on the door.

"Toph?"

She didn't answer.

"I've given it some thought, and I suppose I've been a tad...hard-headed. I suppose, if you really wish it, you can train with a trainer once every few weeks"

"Which trainer?" she asked, as if it really mattered.

"Master Pong, my dear"

"Master...Pong?" she asked incredulously. He couldn't _really _think...

"Why yes, darling, he's supposed to be the best"

"FOR FIVE YEAR OLDS!" she shrieked at him through the door. How dare he!? After she had proved that she had power beyond anything that this _Master Pong_ could even dream of...he thought...oh, she was pissed.

"But he's supposed to be safe!"

Toph was done packing. She hoisted the pack on her shoulder, and went to wretch open the door.

"That's - because - he - teaches - _children!_" she said through her teeth. She blew past him, towards the exit.

"Toph! Where are you going?"

"Away!"

"You can't!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"You're just a girl! You'll _never_ make it out there on your own!"

"And who the hell is going to try to stop this _girl_ from blowing this ice-sicle stand, old man?" she shouted up at him. She was now all the way down the stairs, while surprise may have rendered him immobile. She turned and headed for the nearest exit.

"What's gotten into you?" she heard him her ask loudly.

"ME!" Toph shouted, in the foyer already. She marched to the door, and slammed the door shut behind her so hard that it nearly came right off its hinges.

She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that it somehow included Aang. She smiled at that thought, and bounced off down the street with a new spring in her step.


	4. Arrivals

A/N: Okay, not much sexual language, I admit. Yet. I won't get too graphic (promise), but there may be some definite references and stuff. Just throwing that out there. ^^ I'm having some fun with this story. Hope you enjoy :]

Toph was walking for a good while before she realized that she had no idea where she was going. She hadn't taken any money with her; how could she have been so stupid and rash?! Her decision to leave was already seeming like a bad idea. What was she setting out to do? Go with Aang around the world, saving villages and travelers like the old days? She, a married woman? Married to a high ranking government official, no less. But...could she leave Oro? She was tired of pretending that she was happy; she was tired of silently screaming, watching her life pass by her. But was there a legal way to it? No. Not that she could think of. If she could somehow prove that Oro beat her, then that little by-law could make her life, but Oro? Beat her? Laughable. Nobody would buy that the likes of Oro could lay a hand on her, even if they wanted to.

But she wanted out. How was there even a way to do that? There were only three ways to escape a marriage; beating, cheating or death. Suddenly, a miraculous plan filled Toph's head. And if all went awry, she could just ask Katara's help...she knew Katara had morals and all that, but maybe she would make an exception for a friend in dire need? And if now, Toph was sure than any other Waterbender could sure do the trick. She smiled evilly. She quickened her pace, but to where, she still didn't know.

She didn't have any money on her, so her only solution was to find Aang. But where would _the Avatar_ be staying in Ba Sing Se? Finding one man in this city was like finding a monkeyfeather in a haystack - you just couldn't, not without serious help, anyway. But maybe if she hedged her bets a little bit...she got an idea, and turned to go in the opposite direction. How silly - the most important man in the world wouldn't be staying at some hotel. He'd be staying in the royal palace! Duh! Good thing she was such good friends with the King. She rushed toward the palace.

It was dark when she got there, even though the sun had just barely set when she had first embarked. She walked straight up to the front gate, remembering the time with fondness when she, Aang and the others had completely trespassed and took out the entire guard trying to see just the man she was walking toward now with nimble certainty.

But of course, an agent stopped her, holding his arm out like a bar. Like she couldn't take him, Dai Li or not. In fact, she had probably _trained_ him.

"What business do you have here?"

"I'm seeing an old friend" she replied, lifting her head so that the agent would recognize her. He removed his hand at once. Ah yes, she remembered his feathery voice - he _had_ been a student of hers. She smiled sweetly up at him.

"My apologies, Madam Goda"

"I go by Bei Fong now, actually" she muttered breezily, sweeping past the guard. She felt his shock at her statement and smiled.

She made her way one door at a time until she came to the throne room, now quite empty. She swept around the throne, and swung the wall aside to reveal a hidden door, and headed down the passage way behind it. The guards let her pass in peace; this had been done many times before, though the visits stopped after Toph married. She came upon a wrought-steel door. She smirked, kissed her finger-tips, and proceeded to knock it down. She'd fix it when she left.

The agents were all standing at the ready, the king solidly protected when Toph slid in easily through the door. She laughed at their shock; especially the King's. They dispersed at once with one wave from their master. The King swept toward Toph, took her hand and kissed it.

"Ah, Madam Goda, it's been too long" he sighed as he hugged her.

"Call me Toph, already, jeez"

"Sorry, Madam, but it would be in poor taste for a man to call a married woman by her first name. Rather presumptuous, wouldn't you say?" he teased.

"Well, if you must call me something other than my first name, call me Madam Bei Fong. I do believe I'm done with Oro Goda"

The King was looking at her, she could tell. What she _couldn't_ make out was the frantic beating of his heart.

"He...he beat you? Cheated on you? He didn't...die, did he? Surely I would have heard - "

"Well, he didn't die, unfortunately. I just...have a feeling that not all was right in our household"

"Not all was right?"

"No. It wasn't. I had the distinct air that he was...cheating on me" she explained, her back turned to the King. She relished a tiny bit in the last part of her sentence, but the King didn't notice. That strange fast heart rate came back, though.

"And...you came to me?"

"Well, yes. I have a question" she replied, turning back to face him.

"Ask away, sweetest Toph! I cannot help but admit that I have longed for this day to happen! But alas I didn't think it would! Oro, cheat? About as unlikely as him beating you! You're much too beautiful to even compare to other women! And death? Old Oro? Ha! But cheating! How I glory in his piteous behavior! Why would he need another, when he has one so fair as you?"

"Say what now?" Toph asked, shocked as hell.

"If it is my love you ask for, dearest woman to me, you already have it"

"I wasn't going to ask for your love" she stated, perhaps too bluntly; she was too surprised to be soft and gentle. The King wilted.

"...Oh...then, pray tell, what were you going to ask?"

"Do you know where the Avatar is staying?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't wonder why she was asking. After all she and Aang were 'old friends'...

"Aang? Ah! But of course! He is the only step above me in the world. More powerful, younger, handsomer...of course" the King said with surprising bitterness.

"Not to mention that I've loved him since I was twelve" Toph corrected coldly; she didn't care if Aang was powerful. Or handsome. She couldn't see any of that anyway. Sometimes, she had even wished that he wasn't those things. They only tore them apart.

"Loved...him?"

"I still do. Now, I've left my scum-bag husband, and I want to confide in an old friend. An old lover. Face it, your Kingliness, the scandals our relationship would cause would be...well, scandalous. And it's not like you're not really great...but...you're even older than my husband" she said in a more comforting voice, trying to get him to understand, but more so trying to get him to tell her where Aang was.

"No, no...I see. I know all that. I just couldn't deny that I had hoped...well, you know" he said in a somewhat high voice.

"So will you tell me where Aang is?"

"Only if you'll promise me that he is what you really want"

"You know he is" Toph whispered.

And then the Earth King proceeded to give her directions to his room.

Toph was excited. She was going to see Aang! They were going to hatch a conspiracy to get her free, and she knew just how to do it...she licked her lips at just the thought of it. She burst into Aang's room, full of energy.

But he wasn't home. Her shoulders sagged, disappointed. She'd been looking forward to a night of firsts, after all. First kiss that would lead somewhere, first plan hatched by just the two of them together...first time in bed...she sighed. She would just have to wait for him. She sat on the bed, and time dragged on and on and on. She wondered if the Earth King had given her wrong directions. Or if she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. Just when she was about to get up from the bed and look in the hallway, she heard a noise on the other side of the door. She recognized Aang's laugh, but there was something heavy about it; nervous-sounding. Then she heard the other voices.

"Come on, Aang...let us back in your place. We'll show you a great time" came a bubbly voice with a giggle. Toph's mouth dropped open.

"No, no ladies....'m fine"

The doorknob rattled.

"No, really Aang...we got'choo now!"

"Yeah, Aang, just one night! We swear we-won't-tell" another drunken voice of a woman complied. There was a thump against the door. She couldn't take it anymore, she slammed her feet down to the floor. Two woman - with nice bodies, she might add - were pushing a man - Aang - against the door. His stance was uncomfortable, trying to push them away but with no success. One girl tried to reach up for a kiss. Toph suddenly had it. She jumped off the bed, practically soared to the door, and wretched it open, pulling Aang in by his robes, and slamming the door on the drunk sluts. She frog-marched him to the bed, and threw him down on it. She stood over him, fuming.

_Aang_?_**Drunk**?!_ This was a new development.

"Explain yourself, Aang"

"Toph? Is'at you?"

"Of course it's me, Twinkletoes!"

"You look pretty, Toph"

"And you look drunk"

"Had a drink"

"_A_ drink?"

"Mabbeh three. Or seven. It's hard 't count"

"Well, it would be with seven drinks in you. Come on, let's get you down and in bed" Toph sighed. She guessed that the firsts would have to happen tomorrow. But hey, she didn't care when any of that happened, just that it did. She leaned down to help him take off his shirt - which had puke on it, URHG, when he kissed her sloppily on the mouth. His hand fumbled through her hair, trying to caress and failing. She pulled herself away, grossed out.

"Man alive, Aang! Stop that, and let me get you out of these filthy clothes"

"Okay - I like that idea"

"It won't be what you think" Toph said maliciously, smirking.

"Why?"

"Because I'm blind"

And then she started to tug off Aang's clothing. He cried out more than once because of her roughness, or her trying to pull a tightly buttoned robe over his giant ears, or pulling an arm backwards on accident. Admittedly, this was not how she wanted Aang naked before her for the first time to be, but it wasn't really her choice. She was just going to change his shirt and pants, but she had her back turned when Aang, in all his drunken glory, took off everything else, either forgetting that she couldn't see or thinking he was helping out. She turned, felt him drop his underwear, and quickly turned back. She didn't know why; she couldn't see his junk anyway. She rolled her eyes. Note to self, Aang and alcohol don't mix.

She eventually got Aang in some nice pajamas (at least, she_ hoped_ they were pajamas, and she hoped he was _in_ them) and put him in bed. She changed into something in the bathroom, and then joined Aang under the covers. Even drunk, he turned to her just so, and flipped his arm so that it was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her to him. She smiled. He reached down and kissed her softly. She could tell that this was _Aang_ and not the alcohol.

"Sorry that there's alcohol"

"Well, the entire invention of alcohol isn't your fault, so I guess I forgive you" she joked. He laughed, and his nose nuzzled her ear.

Ah, yes. She could stay like this forever.


	5. Mornings

A/N: So, I hope this story won't extend as long as my other one will. I'm on Chapter 14, I think, and I'm not stopping ANY time soon on that one. My goal for this one is maybe ten chapters. Thirteen, tops. What do you guys think? More? Less? I'm unsure. Well, have fun, enjoy my chapter, and since I haven't written it yet at this point, it may get steamy later. Maybe. Maybe not. Enjoy :]

Something smelled _awful_. Toph coughed, and wrinkled her nose. The normal fuzziness of not having her feet on the ground told her she was on a bed...HOLY CRAP! What did she_ do_ last night?! She...oh Spirits, she ran away from Oro...to Aang! Holy _crap_.

Eh.

She could have done worse. She could have beat the ever-living snot out of Oro. She shrugged inwardly, remembering now why she had made the decision to leave in the first place. The feeling of being stifled, molded, utterly alone in crowds of people, the same parties, the same faces, the same damn _meaningless_ chatter and gossip...and now she was no longer constricted. She felt freer than she had in years.

But something still stunk. She reached her head back, and sniffed Aang - his mouth was hanging open, his breath blowing right into her face. She coughed again - his morning breath (after a night of drinking) was terrible. She disentangled herself, and left the room to change into something gloriously simple. Oro had let her keep a few things that didn't require three maids to put on. She was digging through her bag, trying to find the over-piece to what she had on, when her hand hit a familiar metal object. Her face broke into a smile. She pulled it out, and then found her top-piece.

Luckily, the top and bottom pieces of this outfit were the same color on both sides, and were sewn in such a way where the seams never jutted out. They were wonderful. She finished dressing, and then pulled her hair into a bun. She marveled at the nostalgia. How great it was that she never needed to see to be able to put her hair up. She fumbled a little - her skills were much out-of-practice. She then took her green (or so she was told) hairband out, and tucked it gently behind her ears.

But she had no bangs! She had let them grow out - Oro had said that it was improper for married women to wear bangs. Well. Without Oro around, who was to say she couldn't have bangs?! She wanted them and dammit, she was going to get them! She undid her hair, and shook it out. The dresser in this room was made of stone; she took a piece from it, and bended its edge to have a razor-blade feel on one side. She took the front part of her long hair, and swiped the sharp rock across it. She felt and heard the hair hit the floor. She then hastily put her hair back up, her band back on, and left the bangs out on purpose. She smiled as she felt the softness of the white poofs on the sides; they were still silky.

She then dug around for her space-rock bracelet. She found it, and clamped it to her upper arm, Fire Nation style. She smiled, happy for the recent change in her life that let her be twelve again, even if in some small way. She turned from her bag, and went back to the room where her would-be lover still lay sleeping.

"Wake your face up, TwinkleToes!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Aang jumped up, surprised and half-asleep. He went into battle-form, but must have accidentally put air into his move, because he was blasted into the air and landed three feet away from the bed with a loud _thunk_. Toph could hardly see any of this; she was laughing way too hard.

"Twi....twinke.....!!! You..._so_ still....have it!" Toph managed to say between the fits of laughter that make your stomach ache. She hadn't realized she was crying until Aang wiped a tear away, laughing himself. Wow. She hadn't cried for laughter in years. That shocked her into silence. Aang leaned down to kiss her, but she leaned back, disgusted. She felt his hurt, and then explained.

"Your breath reeks of whatever you drank last night" she complained. He gave a nervous laugh and covered his mouth with his hand. He pulled some water from a jug across the room, and bended it so that it would clean his teeth. Toph always wished she could do that, but Earth seemed to make things dirtier. Aang smiled, his teeth and breath fresh.

"Wow, Toph, you look...exactly like you used to" he said, sounding somehow half-way thrilled and half-way disappointed. She couldn't figure out why.

"I thought you would like it?" her statement turning into a question.

"I do. Of course I do! I like everything on you. In fact, I'd wager that I'd like _nothing_ on you just as much, if not more" he joked.

"Aang, I've missed you"

"I missed you, too, Toph. Like hell"

Toph reached up and kissed him. He kissed her back enthusiastically. They lost their balance and fell to the floor, breathing heavily around each others' lips. Their hands were everywhere; in her hair, clutching his shoulders, squeezing her waist, exploring their bodies in wonderful lust. Eventually though, he broke the kiss, panting. Toph didn't like this, and tried to go back for a second round, but Aang stopped her.

"Toph...I hate to say this...but you were right. You have a husband now"

"And you're_ just now_ starting to care about that?"

"You don't?"

"Aang...I hate living with Oro. I'm not _me_ with him. I'm _me_ with you! I want to be me! I want to be yours! I want to not have to deal with being his...his _pet_ every day! I'm so sick of my life over there!" she exclaimed, sitting up. Aang sat up with her.

"Are you sure that you're not the old 'you' with me, and the new 'you' with him? How do you know you're not 'yourself' all the time? How can you be sure that you're not just...chasing the past because your new life didn't turn out how you wanted? Because if you are...you should just go home. Your husband will probably be happy to see you back" he asked, pain evident in his tone.

This brought Toph up short. She still loved Aang, most certainly...but was she reverting to her old ways just for the sake of it? Maybe the bangs was a bit much. Did Aang really think she was just messing around? Playing? Where did this random sense of fidelity come from? Didn't he want to be with her?

"I'm not messing around here, Aang. I've wanted to be by your side _since I was twelve_. You just weren't around...but do you think it's the right thing to do, going back there?" she asked, hurt.

"_I never want you to go back to that!_" he said, voice coming out like a whip. Her eyes widened.

"I hate to say it, because it's so damn _selfish_ of me, but I want you all to myself! When I think about _his_ ring on your finger, _his_ bed being your bed, _his_ hands on you...urhg, urhg, _URHG_! I can't _stand_ it!! I want you to be mine and only _MINE_, Toph! And I can't _take_ it if you're just....just using me to get back at your husband for something, or you're just doing this because you're wondering what could have happened....Toph. Tell me the truth, Toph. Why are you here?"

"Because I'm still in love with you! Why can't you get that through your head?! I didn't even want to marry Oro! It was arranged! You knew that! How dare you think that I would come to you just because my life isn't going where I want it? This! Here! _This_ is where I want my life to be! So either you get that through your head_ right now_ or dammit I will walk right out that door and go stay at a hotel or something!"

Aang sat there, stunned.

"You mean all that?"

"Of course I do"

And then he jumped up and hugged her. She let him, and a small smile crept onto her face, despite still being irritated. She'd forgotten how much he over-thought things. A certain few days before the Day of Black Sun came to mind...she sighed. How could she blame him for making sure she was here for the right reasons? Hell, she'd do the same thing if she wasn't so dead-on sure that he loved her and never stopped. His arms slid from her back, to the floor behind her. His forehead was leaning against hers, their breath mingling.

"So, you're still married" he said, as if he just realized this.

"Well, not for long"

"But the laws - "

"I know about the _laws_. And a way around them. You're still in contact with Katara, aren't you?"

"Yeah" he answered, confused.

"And she can still bloodbend, right?"

"Whoa, Toph, hold on! We're not killing your husband!"

"Who said anything about killing anybody?! Jeez...actually, here's the plan..."

A/N: How'd you like it? Comment pretty, pretty, pleeeeeeaaase? It takes like, thirty seconds, and I love comments ^^ Oh, and phych about the steam stuff, unless you count them making out for like, a paragraph. And I could make it a whole hell of a lot steamier, but I'm not sure how suitable that would be...hrmmm....let me know what you think :]


	6. Plans

A/N Chapter six! Fun on a bun! Thank you to everybody who has favorite-ed me, or added me to their alert list. It makes me happy ^^ But let me know what you think, alright?

"You're sure you got all that, Twinkletoes?"

Aang pored over the sheet of paper they had written the plan on, and nodded.

"You going to remember all of it?"

He nodded again.

"Okay, good. Burn it"

"Why?"

She sighed. "What would somebody think if they perchance came across this little sheet of paper? 'Oh, that's nice'? Come on. We can't risk anybody else knowing"

And so he burned it. Toph watched her master plan shrivel and blacken. She smiled a thin smile. She reached out and took Aang's hand. They were still sitting on the floor, so Toph leaned onto his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She closed her eyes contentedly.

"So, are we starting the plan now, or tomorrow...or....?" Aang asked her. She sat up, and nodded.

"We should start now. How long will the messenger-hawk take to reach Katara?"

"Two days, tops. We'll need to find a way to keep you hidden by then"

"And also find a suitable woman"

"Who are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure. Some of those girls in my old circle would love a chance like this,_ apparently_ Oro is attractive -"

Aang shrugged, gave a half-nod, and made a non-committal noise.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't feel that" Toph laughed, then continued, "...but I'm not sure any of them are in his tastes. Maybe just a cheap hooker? That might due"

"But wouldn't she be more likely to tell? That and it'd be hard getting a prostitute into the upper ring"

"That's true"

"So, should we use the nobility, then?"

"Looks like we're going to have to"

"Which one?"

"I think I know just who. A girl named Misa always got on my nerves, but she always made sure to sit closest to Oro"

"What's she like?"

"Stupid as an armadillo-mole. But from what I hear, pretty. Gullible as hell, that's for sure"

"She sounds perfect"

"Tell me about it"

"Do you think Katara will be...willing to help us?"

"Probably not, at first"

"Because she thinks that Blood-Bending is a dark art?"

"In part that, and also, we _did_ have a thing, you know, before you came into the group..."

"Oh...yeah" Toph said as she winced internally. Half because that would hurt their chances and half because she hated that fact.

"Well, we used to be a thing, but then she met Zuko. Back in the Fire Nation we seemed to be just as good of friends as we used to be...maybe that won't play a part"

"But she _is _a Sugar-Queen. She doesn't like doing things that are 'wrong'"

"I'm sure she'll see this as different. She has to"

"Our happiness is on the line, here. But maybe, if this doesn't work out, I could just flat-out _ask_ for a separation, and he could say that I was the cheater. Which, in all technicalities, I am"

"Well, that's simple! We could score a separation just off of this! We don't need Katara at all!"

"But you're forgetting one thing. Even if we told Oro about this, it wouldn't matter. I'd still be his wife. His very, very confined wife. He wouldn't ask for a separation"

"Why not?!"

"He's too damn prideful. If he won't let me have a job because he thinks that will make people think we're poor, he sure as hell won't make it public that I cheated on him. It would just look like he couldn't '_provide_' for me so I went elsewhere"

"So we're sticking to the plan?"

"We're sticking to the plan"

"Let's start the letter to Katara"

And so Aang wrote while Toph dictated. They were spinning it off as they just wanted Katara and Zuko to visit, but seeing as they knew that Zuko couldn't just up and leave the Fire Nation, it would be alright (they supposed) if just Katara came, but by all means, Zuko was still welcome any time (not). When they were done, Aang sealed the letter, and sent it off on Hawkie.

"Isn't he getting old?" Toph asked.

"I guess, but he still does a great job"

"Do he and Momo get along any better?"

"Not particularly"

They laughed. Now, all they had to do was sit and wait for Katara's reply, maybe even her arrival. Toph sincerely hoped that Misa was ready to get her marriage destroyed. She felt bad, doing that to another person, but she knew well and good that Misa's relationship with her husband was just as fake as Toph's was with Oro. Most upper-ring marriages were fake. Something to be endured, never enjoyed. She was happy that the two weren't happy in their marriage, because even if they were, Toph would still blow full steam ahead on her plan. It scared her, how much she was willing to sacrifice to be with Aang. But she wasn't going to be tossed around by her fears anymore.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Aang murmured.

"What? Helping me leave my husband?"

"Well....yes" Aang lied. Toph could feel it through the floor.

"Aang..." she prodded. He made a little sound, exhaling through his nose impatiently. He didn't want to tell her.

"Fine...I guess I can't believe that I'm breaking you out of a marriage...it's true to some extent. But what I'm more surprised, and kind of hurt at, is that you would marry somebody else in the first place"

"I wouldn't have felt the need if you had written every once and awhile"

"Urhg! That's_ true_" Aang admitted dejectedly. Toph swung her arm around Aang's shoulders.

"Don't worry, Twinkletoes, we're together now, aren't we?"

"If the plan works"

"It will. If it somehow doesn't...we'll find another way"


	7. Pleasures

A/N: So, I'm not used to writing from a blind POV. I'm a huge fan of visual effects, so it's hard to not write visually, you know? So basically my solution is is that I write it like I normally would, then go back and edit all the "I watched" and the "I saw" and the "he/she/I look" stuff and rewrite so it's coming from a blind perspective. Sometimes I delete things altogether because without a working set of peepers the sentence makes no sense O.o But do understand, sometimes I miss a phrase. So, if that happens, just pretend that she's feeling it or something, and then let me know so I can edit it ^^ Vielen Dank! :]

She wasn't sure what was going to happen now. The letter was sent, the girl was chosen, and she and Aang had just come back after a tedious day of watching her sunbathe. Well, Aang watched her; Toph just sat there, feeling the vibrations (or the lack thereof) of her sunbathing. What a boring day. But it was all over now, and it was dusk. Toph could almost smell the setting sun in the air; somehow, she noticed, the air got sweeter near sunset, coming to a sensual, deep scent after dark. The day was dry and didn't have a particular smell, but the night air was always full of fragrance.

Toph wondered what she looked like in the setting sun. She knew that Aang knew. She knew that Aang was looking at her when he thought she wasn't 'looking'. Silly boy was used to people who could see and couldn't feel. She wondered if she looked 'good'. Katara had told her once that she was pretty. Aang had told her enough times that no face could rival hers. Her husband and the Earth King, even, seemed to deem her beautiful. But, being unable to look for herself, she was unsure. It could just be her ere so charming personality that lured them all in. Ha.

"What do I look like, Aang?" she asked softly, "Be honest"

"You look like...you look like you're worried about something"

Toph fidgeted uncomfortably. Why was he so insightful? Or was the look obvious on her face?

"Kind of"

"Tell me, Toph"

She hesitated. She could tell Aang anything. But this was just...uncomfortable. She didn't want to ask him these questions; they would leave her vulnerable. But she sighed, knowing that she was in it now, and she may as well spill the eggplant-beans because the cat-owl was out of the bag that something was bothering her. And he wouldn't give up until he knew anyway.

"Am I...pretty?"

Aang was silent. She fidgeted with the top-piece of her clothes.

"Toph...how could you ask that? You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I wouldn't even need eyes to see how wonderfully cute you are. Nobody would"

She smiled a small smile.

"What do you look like?" she asked quietly. She never knew what he looked like. Vibrations only gave away so much detail. She could tell you the exact outline of Aang's build from any position or view, but she had no idea what his face looked like. She'd heard he was devilishly handsome, but this was also coming from the girl who had the hots for Oro. Bleh.

"Uhm, well, I have blue/grey eyes...my hair is black when it grows out...I have a few freckles...I'm sorry, I can't really describe it to you"

"It's okay. It doesn't matter to me what you look like, blindness or no blindness. I just wanted to know"

Toph made her way to the bed and sat down. She sniffed, irritated. She'd never seen her blindness as a weakness before. It had never been an issue. Not being able to see people's faces meant that she didn't have to deal with superficial things; she never had to worry if somebody was 'out of her league', and if she had a pimple, who cared? It didn't really matter to her.

But now...now she was disappointed that she was blind. Blind at the moment, not all together. If she'd never been blind, she'd have never discovered Metal-Bending, and her skills more than likely wouldn't have progressed this far. Her parents would never have sheltered her, and she would have never met Aang...thanks to her blindness she had everything she wanted. But she wanted to badly just to see Aang's face, just once. She wanted, for the first time in years, to see colors and faces and details.

"Toph...what's bothering you?"

"I want to see your face, Aang"

She felt Aang's heart pick up the pace a little.

"But unfortunately, there's no way to do that" Toph sighed.

Aang's heart was definitely beating hard now.

"What's up, Twinkletoes?" she asked.

"There _is_ a way to help you 'see-see', Toph"

"What?"

"The Spirit Oasis water. It brought me back from death, and Katara used it to help Zuko's scar become very faint. I know you never saw it, but it was big. It covered half his face but now it's just along the one side of his cheek. Maybe it can help you see...if you really want to"

Toph was surprised. When it seemed impossible, recovering her fifth sense had seemed like a great idea, but knowing now that it could be entirely possible made her nervous. What if she hated seeing? What if the colors she saw were ugly? What if her bending skills took a dive because she would no longer depend on vibrations?

"It's a big decision, Toph. Make it when you're ready" Aang murmured to her.

She liked that he knew how she felt most of the time. It could have been the look on her face again, but Aang just knew. Next thing she knew, Aang's lips were on hers. If she were to see, she didn't know how much better she would like this situation - their eyes were closed anyway. But she could feel the vibrations of almost everything - the bed made some things harder to see that others. Suddenly they were lying down, and near the head of the bed. Toph didn't know and didn't question how they got there; she didn't much care at this point, she was so drawn in to the moment.

Toph was glad that her garments were simple, because that just made them easier for Aang to take off. His clothes, on the other hand, were a little difficult to maneuver, and needed concentration to remove that she simply didn't have at the moment. Aang pulled away, and when he came back he clothes were on the floor, next to hers. She felt Aang's heart race, not through the floor this time, but through her own body. Surely he could feel hers racing as well. While his lips were very skilled in the arts of kissing, Toph could tell that he'd never done anything before like what they were doing now - not that he wasn't really, really, really, _really, really_ good at it. It warmed her heart that he had saved himself for her, and she wished that she could have done the same.

She'd never been so close with Aang, one with him like this, and she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Ever. He was a quick learner, as he always had been, picking up on what she liked and what made her bite her lip in ecstasy in no time. She went through the motions, trying to find what he liked. She grinned as she found it - and scratched his back just that much harder.

Aang's lips found hers again, and she locked her arms around his waist and torso, trapping him there. His lips moving in sync with hers, and she sighed happily. Aang grabbed the headboard for leverage, never letting his other one stay on one place for too long, which Toph loved. Her hands were also traveling, but she wasn't really paying attention to her hands. She was too wrapped up in the moment.

Suddenly Toph broke free of Aang's lips, and screamed just once in exhilaration. Aang made a similar noise, not a half-second later. After that, things calmed down a bit. Both of them - still curled up in a naked embrace - were breathing heavily.

"I love you, Toph"

"I love you, too, Aang"

And then all was silent, because nothing more needed to be said.

The next morning, Toph woke up to find that Aang was already awake. He was looking down at her, stroking her hair. They were still naked from their _adventures_ the night before, and Toph was personally in no rush to get dressed again. She wondered for half a second if Aang was into morning-sex. Upon seeing that she was awake, Aang leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. She returned the kiss softly.

"Good morning" she said a bit groggily.

"It's better than good. It's literally the best morning I've ever had" he returned, his hand running from her hair - which had come out of the bun sometime during their consummations - to her bare shoulder, and trailing from her shoulder to her torso to her waist to her hip. She closed her eyes in satisfaction. His fingers left little trails of heat in their wake. He leaned down to kiss her more deeply, but Toph held up her hand.

"Morning breath, Twinkletoes"

He chuckled, and summoned water for his teeth. She got up to go wash hers, but then Aang's arm was around her, locking her in place, his body against hers. He then summoned more water to brush her teeth for her. She'd never had this done before - it felt nice.

"I don't want you any farther away from me than arms' reach" he murmured against her neck. She smiled, because she wanted this, too. Her hands caressed his neck and torso, and in what seemed like no time at all, morning sex was not just a wondering in Toph's head.

Toph buttoned the last button on her tunic, her hair still wet from her bath. The buttons were large, and the slits for them wide, so she had no problem with them. The thing she did have a problem with were the clothes themselves. She didn't want to put them on. She would have been content - no, extremely happy - to stay in bed with Aang all day, teaching him the art of making her scream. Not that he had trouble with that; in fact, he was the most adept lover she'd had to date. And she'd only had Oro, ever, so this didn't surprise her. Even new, Aang was just...yum. She couldn't wait until tonight...or next time they were alone.

Aang had been called to the King's chambers for a meeting involving all the higher-ups. There was a problem with pirates near Chameleon Bay, and so far nothing had been done about it, other than renegade villagers who killed a few who got too close to their land or families. Toph was waiting here for Aang to return. He'd only been gone thirty minutes, and already she was missing him. She wondered how he was feeling right now. Would the King see a difference in him?

She had nothing better to do, so she thought about the Spirit Oasis, and her blindness. There was no guarantee that she would recover, but the Oasis had saved Yue's life, Aang's life, and countless others. It had even healed Zuko's scar. He'd let her feel his face once, and she knew that it wasn't pretty. But would it cure her blindness? She couldn't help but think so. After all, what kind of spring has the ability to bring back the dead but not sight?

But did she want it? Of course. She wanted to see Aang's face more than anything. And she'd tried that 'feeling his face' crap, but that worked out about as well as she and Oro had. She laughed at her own joke. She was going to start using that. But what if she lost her awesome bending skills? She couldn't decide which was more important, knowing what her lover looked like, what her friends looked like, or being able to definitely kick people's asses whenever she felt like it.

On the other hand, though, just because she would be able to see didn't mean that she wouldn't be able to feel vibrations. Aang could, and he could see as well as anybody. But he couldn't sense as well as she could. She had always contributed that to the fact that he didn't need the vibrations as she did, so he never tried as hard, and never got as familiar with them as she was. Maybe blindness wasn't the answer to awesome Earth-Bending. Maybe it was just her.

She sincereely hoped that this was the case, because she needed to see Aang's face. There was no driving force in the world that required her to be able to bend metal and be able to stop about twenty people at once. The Fire Nation was good now. Turns out that most people in the Fire Nation hated the war from the beginning, but if they spoke out, Sozin, Azulon or Ozai would put an end to it. So, there was no need for her to be the best anymore. She was free to see all she wanted. And dammit, after she and Aang finished this mission, they were taking a trip to the North Pole.


	8. Intrusions

A/N: First, I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed me. THANKS!!!! 3 This story is as much for me as for you. ^^ Enjoy! :]

Toph was bored. Aang wasn't back yet. It had been _an hour_!! What was taking so long? Spirits...she sighed. She took the space-rock bracelet off of her arm and started fidgeting with it. _Squeeze_, clump, _squeeze_, bracelet, _squeeze_, clump again, _squeeze_, bracelet again. She snapped it back on her arm. She paced. She hummed. She practiced her katas. She fixed the stone dresser that she'd taken rock from to cut her hair. She made the bed - sloppily - but it was a made bed nonetheless. She folded her clothes. She paced again. She played with her bracelet again. She tried practicing her katas again.

But she just wasn't focused enough. While going through the motions, she'd accidentally raised a pillar and nearly broke the bed. _Ha,_ she thought to herself, _wouldn't be the first time and it won't be the last_. She sighed. There was nothing else for it. She had to find something to do. She was going to go wait for Aang.

She left the room with purpose - to find the room that Aang was in and wait for him outside. Her ulterior motive, of course, was to be invited in. It was about time she went back to the job she loved. She wondered briefly if she should ask for it back. What were Aang's plans after this? Surely he wasn't done helping the world fix itself, because he was in a meeting to discuss pirates. Would he leave again? If he was, there was no way she was staying here, husband or no husband. No. Way. She'd learned that lesson the hard way.

She wandered around the palace, the guards making way for her with short bows. She smiled. This was the life. She continued to try to feel where Aang was. This technique would prove useless if one were trying to find one specific person in a specific room - one may as well just barge in on one room after the other. Finding just one person - without any detail - in a huge palace was daunting; finding a war meeting full of people should not have been.

Oh, _but it was_. The first time she'd thought she'd had it - it was a fancy room, a single figure at the front as if giving a lecture, the rest seeming paying close attention. But when she opened the door a crack to take a listen, the voices were clearly female. She'd stuck around to make sure that this really wasn't it, but she felt none of the familiar heart patterns of the generals and governors she used to work so closely with. She sighed and shut the door.

She found that she identified people by the sound of their hearts, footsteps and most of all voices, like other people identified others by their faces. In the few meeting rooms she'd been to, none of the voices or heartbeats were familiar in the way she would have liked. She'd been around the majority of these people before, but really barely took notice of them. She noticed them the way people noticed their servants or maids; with a quick nod and maybe, over time, a gradual familiarity of their 'faces'. She'd 'seen' all these people before; trainee Dai Li agents, assistants to governors, maids, servants, general scribes-men, accountants to the king...basically everybody who she didn't particularly care about at the moment.

After the fifth room of nobodies, Toph was getting annoyed. Where the hell was Aang?! She grumbled inaudibly. Maybe if she could see this would be easier. Maybe there were little arrow-signs on the wall, pointing the seeing-folk in the direction of some sort of main-meeting hall. She'd already been to all of the major halls - and Aang and his stupid meeting were no where in sight. Urhg. She settled on going back to the room to wait.

She got to the room and tried to wait - but it was pure torture. She sat down for just twenty minutes before she was out trying to find him again, worried now. She searched the smaller rooms with less people that she had skipped over before, she searched the dining hall and the throne room and even the kitchens. She knew they weren't going to be in the kitchens, but when you're trying to find something, it's usually in the last place you would look - it had made sense at the time. She grew anxious. Where was he? Where?

After finishing the search of a bathroom - he might have had to pee - she officially gave up. But she was panicked. What if something happened to him?! Wouldn't they have to consult her?! She was going to be, well, a lot of things to Aang. She already was a lot of things to him. They should have come straight to her, she was as good as any relative - oh, no. What if they already had tried to come find her but she was wandering around looking for him?! What if he really was in trouble or something and she'd been wasting valuable time?! She had to get back to the room, now! They might come by later, looking again. They would _have_ to! And she turned and ran full-tilt towards her room.

Once she got there, she paced frantically. She was ashamed to admit it, but she even let a few tears slide down her cheeks. Her throat felt like it was on fire. She couldn't sit still for worry; how long would it take them to get back to her room and tell her that something happened to Aang?

But maybe, a little voice said in the back of her head, she was just over-reacting. So what if she couldn't find the hall? They never said they were going to be in the palace - she had only assumed it was to the King's Chambers he was called; that was where all the major meetings were held. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions...?

But then where was Aang? He didn't have to be in the King's Chamber, but he would have been in another hall for the meeting, and she'd searched all of them. She let out a cry of exasperation. _Where was Aang?!_

She jumped up to leave again - somebody somewhere had to know something. She wretched the doors open and ran headlong into somebody she hadn't noticed was there. They both fell backward onto their backsides. Suddenly, Toph knew it was him.

"Aang!!" she yelled out, and jumped up quickly to swallow him in a hug.

"Hey, Toph...what's up?" he asked, voice a little shaky from surprise.

"I was just so worried! Where were you? I tried to find you but you weren't anywhere in the palace-and-you-might-have-been-hurt-and-I-just...oh I was worried" she said quickly, the words just spilling out of their own accord.

"We were out on the lawns. It's a beautiful day and General Howe suggested we take the meeting outdoors instead of staying in the stuffy meeting room..." he explained in an amused tone.

"What's funny?" Toph asked, slightly annoyed.

The lawns. The freaking_ lawns_?! _Really!?_ She'd been worried sick! And what's worse is now Aang knew how worried she had been. She stood up and didn't bother dusting herself off. She turned to storm into the room, embarrassed at having shown Aang just how much she was in love with him, how vulnerable she felt when he wasn't around. But a hand gripped her shoulder gently and spun her to face Aang again.

"Nothing's funny...I was just surprised that you were so worried about me"

"Well...I was. I hate it when I don't know where you are. It's clingy and stupid but...it reminds me of...well, when you weren't around"

Aang wrapped her in a hug; she loved how much taller he was than she, and how much broader.

"It's not stupid, and it's not clingy. You panicked when you thought I was in trouble. I can definitely understand that...when I went to the Fire Nation with Zuko and Katara, and you wanted to come with me...." he voice became hushed and pained, "I almost had a heart attack. If you were anywhere near trouble I would have _never_ forgiven myself...even if you weren't there because of me, which you would have been. You could have been there for Zuko or Sokka or anybody else and I still would have tried to convince you to stay in the Earth Kingdom. Just the thought of you there at that time still gives me the shivers"

"I felt like I had a little heart attack every second you were gone, you know. I know in my letters I tried to sound confident and blase...but every time I thought of you in danger and started to hyperventilate...it was awhile before my Mother felt comfortable letting me go to Ba Sing Se with the confidence I wouldn't breathe myself to death" Toph laughed quietly, remembering the six, seven times a day where her mother and numerous servants would fan her and hand her water just because they thought she was breathing funny...and the eight or nine more times that she was.

Toph looked up, and felt that Aang was looking down at her; their noses touched. Silent communication passed between them, saying, _'I love you'_. And then the kiss just happened. They backed up to the bed, the backs of Toph's legs hitting the soft mattress before Aang Air-Bended the door closed. It was many passion-filled but sweaty hours later that a knock resounded in the room.

"Toph Bei Fong?" an official-sounding voice nearly shouted. Toph, who had been laying down, using Aang's naked stomach as a pillow, started up and stared in the direction of the door - as if that would help. Aang sat up as well and took a handful of the blankets and covered Toph's body with it. She took up the initiative, having forgot she was naked as well, and wrapped it securely around herself. Aang leaned over and pressed his lips to her ear.

"Hide somewhere, the other room, under a bed, somewhere where they won't think to look"

She complied. She found another bedroom and hid behind a panel of curtains lining one wall. She laid down on the floor so her figure wouldn't jut out of the seemingly flat wall. Thoughts raced through her head as she felt Aang answer the door and just barely heard, "I think you've got the wrong house if you're looking for Mrs. Goda"

She tried to keep her breathing rate down to avoid being heard. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. Oro was sending people to look for her; she knew he would. He wouldn't just let her go, _of course not_. How could she think of actually _sharing_ a room with the Avatar?! She was going to sully his good name! The Avatar, sleeping with a married woman. Of course she would never be respected again, either. She thought about the agent who had been sent; they would probably leave when Aang said she wasn't there. Worst comes to worst, they would do a preliminary sweep of the place. She was well-hidden on the floor, pressed against the wall. She would probably look like a rather large wrinkle as the curtain hit the floor.

Then her heart gave a start. Her backpack. Had Aang thought to hide it before he answered the door?! Why hadn't she? Why would she just leave it out in the open like that? How _stupid_ of her! She wanted to hit herself upside the head. They might not get to reenact their plan! It would certainly be harder if they couldn't communicate. If she went back to Oro, he would never forgive her! The only natural light she would ever see again would be through a window! She felt her eyes start to brim, but she blinked rapidly to dispel the sensation. Tears wouldn't help her now.

She listened as the argument at the door became more and more heated, until finally the door swung open on squeaky hinges and slammed against the wall behind it. Clomping footsteps entered the house. She didn't recognize the intruder. But he did sound vaguely familiar...Aang protested, but it soon gave way to irritated mutterings. She both listened and felt as the agent came closer and closer to the room she hid in, until finally the door was opened, and two sets of footsteps entered the room. The first a very uneasy and nervous Twinkletoes, the other...the other a very irritated, angry sounding Dai Li agent.

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A/N: Also, please COMMENT. I LOVE THEM.


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